Following Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension from the Nigerian Senate, public opinion is divided. Despite our religiousness, Nigerians have set aside ethics, morality and respect for the rule of law. And the only winners in this chaos are the oppressors who refuse to open themselves to. Natasha was denied her rights in the Senate, leaving her no option but to become an outlaw against the leadership....Read Full Article >>➤
And the undeniable truths are being ignored. Obviously, Nigerians are no longer interested in finding out the truth, which is why we have charlatans in power. Natasha’s oppression would not have been this successful without accomplices among the oppressed, such as the female senators and opposition party members.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions, Labour Party’s Neda Imasuen, kept shifting the goalpost of the Senate Standing Orders just to frustrate Natasha’s petition on sexual harassment against the Senate President Akpabio. Natasha persisted and refused to be frustrated until they voted to suspend her.
Some arguments tilt towards vilifying the senator. This largely comes from vile sympathisers of the Senate President—Akpabio. Surprisingly, those involved in this immoral rhetoric include the First Lady and fellow Senator Ireti Kingibe of LP.
The most despicable comment came from the Deputy Chief Whip, APC’s Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, who defamed her by asserting that she has six children with different men. This insinuates she lacks the credibility to allege harassment or that she is unattractive enough to be sexually harassed. He is wrong. But with unhinged individuals like this voted into power, some will conclude that Nigeria is getting the kind of governance it deserves.
Alongside these deranged politicians, some disorganised social media groups deflected the discussion by promoting a narrative that Natasha’s party, PDP, and the 36 senators who displayed their lack of support are to blame.
No, I disagree. The responsibility to support Natasha is on all humans, not just one group or party. This is a case of expecting cornfield slaves to sing while they work. Blaming people’s errors or lukewarm attitudes is a distraction. APC, Akpabio’s party, is silent, but no one is challenging them. LP has not responded, and no one is blaming them. The focus should be on the alleged wrongdoing of Akpabio, not people’s refusal to fight with Natasha.
Lawmakers are oppressed in the National Assembly, yet some fail to recognise it or are scared to speak. A former Senator, Shehu Sani, narrated his ordeal recently. Some are submissive to worldly gains and greed, while some are genuinely oppressed, like Senator Ningi.
When people are afraid, they lose all capacity for analysis and reflection. The fear of potential loss freezes their ability to think positively. We can agree that the system has compromised. But should that be the ideal scenario? People should never be the property of other people.
It is true that the Vice-Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions is from PDP, while the Chairman is from LP. According to the document seen on social media, both have signed to endorse Natasha’s suspension. Many other PDP senators on the committee also signed the endorsement of her suspension.
But then again, so what? If the PDP and its fellow senators failed to support Natasha’s petition, does that make Akpabio’s alleged misconduct legal?
The distraction from Akpabio will only strengthen him and his party, the APC. Yes, the ruling party has realised that Nigerians get used to anything. In this situation, they conditioned public opinion to think less about Akpabio’s oppression of Natasha. As people get distracted by divisive rhetoric, tolerance for this oppression grows. Like budget padding, people will not take sexual assault allegations seriously in the future. God forbid we see that day in our lifetime.
The way forward is to concentrate on the oppressor—Akpabio—for refusing to face investigation and for silencing Natasha’s petition. Nigerians must remember that this is not the first time someone has accused Akpabio of sexual harassment. There is the case of the former acting Managing Director of the NDDC, Dr Joi Nunieh, who claimed to have slapped Akpabio for sexually harassing her when he was a Minister.
As humans, we know hope is lost when Nigerians begin to question the oppressed instead of the oppressor. The oppressor—Akpabio—is the problem, and the ruling party—APC—must own its guilt. And if we let Akpabio go scot-free today, it could be one of you or me tomorrow.
Je Suis Natasha!!!
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